''The Benchwarmers'' is a 2006 American
sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
-
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Dennis Dugan
Dennis Barton Dugan (; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films ''Problem Child (film), Problem Child'', ''Brain Donors'', ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' and ''National Security (20 ...
, written by
Allen Covert
Allen Stephen Covert (born October 13, 1964) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his starring role in the 2006 comedy film '' Grandma's Boy'', and his supporting actor role in the movie '' Strange Wilderne ...
and
Nick Swardson, and produced by
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
and
Jack Giarraputo. The film stars
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael Schneider ( ; born October 31, 1963) is an American actor and comedian. He rose to prominence as a cast member on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (1990–1994), where he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Following ...
,
David Spade,
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his breakout lead role as the title character of the comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004). He also voiced the character in the Fox animated serie ...
,
Jon Lovitz,
Craig Kilborn,
Molly Sims
Molly Sims (born May 25, 1973) is an American fashion model and actress. She was featured in campaigns for Jimmy Choo, Escada, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors, and Chanel, among others. She frequently modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Iss ...
, and
Tim Meadows
Tim Meadows (born February 5, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the longest-running cast members on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'', where he appeared for 10 seasons from 1991 to 2000. For his work on ''S ...
, with Swardson,
Erinn Bartlett,
Amaury Nolasco,
Bill Romanowski,
Sean Salisbury, Matt Weinberg,
John Farley,
Reggie Jackson, and Joe Gnoffo in supporting roles. It tells the story of three nerds and a billionaire forming a titular baseball team to take on Little League teams.
Produced by Sandler's production company
Happy Madison Productions in association with
Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC (operating as Revolution Studios) is an American independent motion picture and foreign sales company headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming, founded in 2000, and based in Los Angeles, Los Ang ...
, ''The Benchwarmers'' was released in the United States on April 7, 2006, by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
. The film was met with negative reviews.
A
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
sequel titled ''Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls'' was released in January 2019.
Plot
Gus Matthews, Richie Goodman, and Clark Reedy are adult "
nerds" who spent their childhoods wishing to play baseball, but never got the chance. One day, Gus and Clark witness an overweight, timid boy named Nelson Carmichael and his friends being bullied and kicked off a baseball diamond by a local
little league team led by Troy and Kyle, and they chase the bullies away. When Gus and Clark go with Richie to the field to play a game, the bullies return and demand that they leave, but Gus challenges the bullies to play them for the field. Despite Richie and Clark's terrible ballplaying, the three win the game due to Gus' surprising capability. The three soon befriend Nelson's billionaire father Mel at
Pizza Hut, while having an altercation with Richie and Clark's childhood bully/Troy's uncle Jerry, when Gus defends Richie and Clark from Jerry's insults. Later, a man named Brad, another one of Clark and Richie's childhood bullies, challenges them to another game, but the three friends win again.
Later, Mel invites the trio over to his house for lunch, and tells them about his plan to hold a round-robin with all the little league teams in the state, plus their team. The winners will be given access to a new multimillion-dollar
baseball park
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...
built by Mel. The three name themselves the Benchwarmers and join the tournament. The Benchwarmers win every single game, with Clark and Richie's skills gradually improving, and the team becomes popular among many nerds, children with poor athletic abilities, and the general public. As the tournament goes on, Jerry and his fellow little league coaches Brad, Karl, and Wayne start conspiring together planning to defeat the Benchwarmers. Richie's brother Howie, who suffers from
agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and q ...
and has not left the house for months, eventually joins the team, while Gus' wife, Liz, becomes angry that Gus keeps putting off her ovulating schedule since she wants to start a family.
At the
semi-final game, the competing team's coach Wayne is down to the Benchwarmers by several runs. Desperate, he seeks the help of a 30-year-old
Dominican professional baseball player named Carlos to join his team to get back into the game. Despite Carlos clearly being an adult and having a falsified birth certificate that was written in green
crayon
A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder (material), binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a ...
, Wayne bribes the home plate umpire to successfully get Carlos onto his team. The impact is immediate as Carlos's superb pitching and hitting get Wayne's team back in the game. However, the Benchwarmers quickly see that Carlos is a recovering
alcoholic
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
, and they give him as much alcohol as possible throughout the rest of the game. Gus manages to tie the game, and then Carlos stomps on his wrist, making his pitching difficult. After a bunt from Gus, the Benchwarmers run into their first instance of loading the bases, leading to Howie's first
at-bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...
due to being the only Benchwarmer
on-deck. Howie is hit by a pitch due to Carlos being intoxicated, which drives in the game-winning run for the Benchwarmers.
After that victory, Brad and Karl find evidence during their
poker
Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...
game buddy, Steven, that Gus was a bully as a child from their poker buddy Steven. He tells them Gus was known for using
name calling instead of
physical intimidation, and that he had bullied one boy named Marcus so severely that he had to be sent to a
mental institution
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...
. Manipulating this situation, Jerry and Steven expose Gus' secret to the public with help from Steven's old principal, causing Gus to be ostracized by the team, leading him to quit. Liz finds out about his involvement and asks if that was why he kept postponing their attempt to start a family. Gus expresses fear that his kids would suffer bullying growing up, and this would be a form of
karma
Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
punishing him. Liz encourages him to apologize to Marcus, and Gus later sincerely apologizes to him just before the final game. On the day of the big game against Jerry's baseball team at Mel's newly-built stadium, Marcus publicly forgives Gus, and Gus re-joins the team, announcing that Marcus is the Benchwarmers' new third-base coach.
In the final game, Gus, Clark, and Richie let a team consisting of Nelson and other non-athletic children play, to give them a chance to compete. In the final inning, the Benchwarmers are losing, but Jerry's team sees that the Benchwarmers are having fun playing the game anyway. Realizing the true spirit of the game and the fact that Jerry is taking it too far, Troy and Kyle decide to throw the shut-out and let Nelson hit the ball, giving him the one point. The Benchwarmers storm the field, celebrating the fact that they were not
shut out, and a furious Jerry is humiliated when he is left hanging by his underwear on a fence after getting a wedgie by Gus, Richie, Clark, Howie and Mel.
The entire Benchwarmers team, along with the kids from Jerry's team, Marcus, Brad's speedo friend, and even Carlos and Wayne, celebrate at Pizza Hut. Richie and Clark get girlfriends, Howie informs Wayne that he's overcome his
heliophobia (though is still afraid of the moon), and Gus announces that he is going to become a father.
Cast
*
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael Schneider ( ; born October 31, 1963) is an American actor and comedian. He rose to prominence as a cast member on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (1990–1994), where he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Following ...
as Gus Matthews, a nerd and reformed childhood bully who works as a groundskeeper and 1/3 of the Benchwarmers.
*
David Spade as Richie Goodman, a nerd and video rental store worker at Video Spot and 1/3 of the Benchwarmers.
*
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his breakout lead role as the title character of the comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004). He also voiced the character in the Fox animated serie ...
as Clark Reedy, a mentally handicapped nerd and paperboy and 1/3 of the Benchwarmers.
*
Jon Lovitz as Mel Carmichael, a former nerd billionaire who funds the Benchwarmers.
*
Craig Kilborn as Jerry McDowell, a mean-spirited little league coach and proprietor of Jerry's Lumber that bullied Richie and Clark as a kid.
*
Molly Sims
Molly Sims (born May 25, 1973) is an American fashion model and actress. She was featured in campaigns for Jimmy Choo, Escada, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors, and Chanel, among others. She frequently modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Iss ...
as Liz Matthews, the wife of Gus.
*
Tim Meadows
Tim Meadows (born February 5, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the longest-running cast members on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'', where he appeared for 10 seasons from 1991 to 2000. For his work on ''S ...
as Wayne, a little league coach and proprietor of Wayne's Hardware who is one of Jerry's friends.
*
Nick Swardson as Howie Goodman, Richie's
agoraphobic
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and q ...
and
heliophobic brother.
*
Erinn Bartlett as Sarah, the salad girl at Pizza Hut who Richie falls for.
*
Amaury Nolasco as Carlos, a Dominican man whom Jerry recruits to Wayne's little league team.
*
Bill Romanowski as Karl, a little league coach and proprietor of Karl's Auto Body who is one of Jerry's friends.
*
Sean Salisbury as Brad, a little league coach and proprietor of a sporting goods store who picks on Richie and Clark.
* Matt Weinberg as Kyle Wilson, a member of Jerry's little league team.
*
John Farley as an unnamed swimmer boy in a speedo who is associated with Brad
*
Reggie Jackson as himself, a baseball player and an old friend of Mel who helps train Gus, Richie, and Clark.
* Joe Gnoffo as Marcus Ellwood, a man with
dwarfism
Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...
who Gus used to pick on when they were boys.
*
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Jock Kid Game #3
*
Dan Patrick as O'Malley, a poker friend of Brad and Karl.
*
Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former professional American football, football player. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/The CW Television Network, CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which air ...
as Steven, a poker friend of Brad and Karl who wears a wig.
* Max Prado as Nelson Carmichael, Mel's 12-year-old son who helps out with the Benchwarmers after they saved him from a little league team.
* Jillian Henry as Gretchen Peterson, a friend of Nelson and one of the child commentators for the Benchwarmers' baseball games.
* Garrett Julian as Mitchell, a friend of Nelson and one of the child commentators for the Benchwarmers' baseball games.
* Alex Warrick as Sammy Sprinkler, a spit-talking boy who helps out the Benchwarmers as a
statistician
A statistician is a person who works with Theory, theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private sector, private and public sectors.
It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, a ...
.
Cameos:
* Danny McCarthy as Troy, the nephew of Jerry who is a member of his uncle's little league team.
* Jackie Sandler as a Video Stop customer who gives Richie a negative comment about the video she rented
* Jared Sandler as an autograph kid
*
Rachel Hunter as a hot mother who becomes Clark Reedy's first kiss
* Rob Moore as Poker Guy #3, an unnamed fellow poker player of Brad, Karl, O'Malley, and Steven.
*
Blake Clark
Blake Clark is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as Chet Hunter on '' Boy Meets World'' and Harry Turner on '' Home Improvement''. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the ''Toy Story'' franchise starting with 2008's '' Toy Sto ...
as an umpire who Wayne bribes to allow Carlos play for his team
*
Dennis Dugan
Dennis Barton Dugan (; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films ''Problem Child (film), Problem Child'', ''Brain Donors'', ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' and ''National Security (20 ...
as Coach Bellows, a little league coach operating in Brookdale.
* Charles Dugan as Marty, the elderly boss of Richie at Video Stop.
*
Jonathan Loughran as Brad's assistant coach
*
Ron Masak
Ronald Alan Masak (July 1, 1936 – October 20, 2022) was an American actor best known for playing the recurring role of Sheriff Mort Metzger of Cabot Cove in the CBS mystery series ''Murder, She Wrote'' starring Angela Lansbury, who predecea ...
as the principal of a Brookdale school who helps Steven reveal Gus' past on the news
*
Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Ellwood, the mother of Marcus.
*
Lochlyn Munro
Lochlyn Munro (born February 12, 1966) is a Canadian actor. His most notable film roles include ''A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998), ''Scary Movie'' (2000), ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), ''White Chicks'' (2004), ''The Predator (film), The Predator ...
as Ultimate Home Remodel Host
*
Matt Willig as a jock guy who watches the baseball game between the Benchwarmers and Jerry's Lumber
*
Cleo King as Lady Customer
* Bob Sexton as Karl's assistant coach
* Tom Silardi as Candia Coach
* Michael Moore as Candia Assistant Coach
* J.J. Darwish as a goth kid who watches the baseball game between the Benchwarmers and Jerry's Lumber
*
Ellie Schneider as Carol, the girlfriend of a goth kid who watches the baseball game between the Benchwarmers and Jerry's Lumber.
* Gabriel Pimental as a little man that is befriended by a jock guy during the baseball game between the Benchwarmers and Jerry's Lumber
*
Jon Moscot (uncredited)
Voices
*
Doug Jones as Number 7, Mel's robot servant.
*
James Earl Jones as a
Darth Vader
Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...
Gatekeeper System that is positioned outside of Mel's house.
*
William Daniels as
KITT (uncredited)
Production
''The Benchwarmers'' was shot at various locations in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, mostly in
Agoura Hills
Agoura Hills () is a city situated in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 20,330 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. Agoura H ...
, in Chumash Park and at a
Pizza Hut. Other locations were
Chino Hills;
Chino;
Culver City
Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...
;
Glendale; Watson Drug Store Chapman Avenue,
Orange;
Simi Valley
Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. Simi Valley borders Th ...
;
Westwood, Los Angeles
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...
and on Mulholland Hwy,
Malibu (Mel's house). In an interview on ''
The Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...
'' in 2006,
David Spade stated that
Artie Lange was originally cast in the role of Clark, which was then offered to
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his breakout lead role as the title character of the comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004). He also voiced the character in the Fox animated serie ...
(of ''
Napoleon Dynamite
''Napoleon Dynamite'' is a 2004 American Independent film, independent Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt (producer), Chris Wyatt and Sean C. Covel (producer), Sean Covel, written by Jared and J ...
'' fame).
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
''The Benchwarmers'' scored 13% based on 71 reviews, with the site's consensus reading, "A gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny, ''The Benchwarmers'' goes down swinging." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a score of 25 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Manohla Dargis of
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
wrote: "The Benchwarmers is the sort of trash that Hollywood does really well" and noted it was only in theaters to raise awareness for the home-rental market. Dargis concludes by quoting Schneider, who called it "a master's thesis on the form of a quintessential Adam Sandler comedy."
Owen Gleiberman of
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
gave it a positive review: "This morphing of "
The Bad News Bears" and a "
Three Stooges" episode parades its dumbness with such zip that it almost passes for clever."
Bob Smithouser of
Plugged In wrote: "The three-man squad known as "The Benchwarmers" becomes a source of hope for nerds everywhere who appreciate being represented."
Box office
The film was a box office success. In its opening weekend, it grossed $19.6 million, ranking second at the North American box office behind ''
Ice Age: The Meltdown''. The film finished with $59,843,754 domestically and $5,113,537 in other markets, totaling $64,957,291 worldwide.
The film held the record for the highest opening weekend gross for a baseball genre film, until 2013 when it was surpassed by the
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
film ''
42''.
Award nominations
2006 Teen Choice Awards:
*
Choice Movie - Comedy
*
Choice Movie Actor – Comedy (Jon Heder)
*
Choice Movie Rumble (Jon Heder vs. Karl's Auto Body)
* Choice Movie Chemistry (Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder)
2006 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards:
* Worst On-Screen Hairstyle (David Spade)
2007 Razzie Awards:
* Worst Actor (Rob Schneider)
2010 Razzie Awards:
* Worst Actor of the Decade (Rob Schneider)
Home media
The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and UMD on July 25, 2006 by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.
Background
SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
.
Sequel
In July 2018, Revolution Studios and
Universal 1440 Entertainment announced a direct-to-DVD sequel titled ''Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls''. The film was released on January 29, 2019, with
Jon Lovitz reprising his role as Mel Carmichael.
The rest of the cast consists of
Chris Klein,
Chelsey Reist,
Lochlyn Munro
Lochlyn Munro (born February 12, 1966) is a Canadian actor. His most notable film roles include ''A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998), ''Scary Movie'' (2000), ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), ''White Chicks'' (2004), ''The Predator (film), The Predator ...
, and Garfield Wilson.
See also
*
List of baseball films
References
External links
*
*
David Spade interview for ''The Benchwarmers''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benchwarmers, The
2000s American films
2006 films
2006 comedy films
2000s buddy comedy films
2000s sports comedy films
American sports comedy films
2000s English-language films
American baseball films
American buddy comedy films
Columbia Pictures films
Films produced by Adam Sandler
Films produced by Jack Giarraputo
Films directed by Dennis Dugan
Films with screenplays by Allen Covert
Films with screenplays by Nick Swardson
Happy Madison Productions films
Revolution Studios films
English-language buddy comedy films
English-language sports comedy films